What is Ethical Storytelling?

“Ethical Storytelling” means different things to different people.

“Ethical storytelling” emerged in response to concerns about impact storytelling — but it can mean different things depending on the area of concern:

  • NGO/nonprofit staff are usually describing the production process of the story (e.g. consent).

  • Narratologists are usually critiquing the use of the story (e.g. fundraising emails and other forms of instrumentalization).

  • Media professionals — such as journalists and photographers — are usually describing representation of the people and issues in the story.

  • Social justice advocates are usually describing the content and meaning of the story: whether or supports or hinders creating change.

Ethical Storytelling:

Telling impact stories without causing harm.

Tell Ethical Stories begins with these assumptions:

  • Impact stories will be told by nonprofits, NGOs and social change organizations.

  • Telling impact stories is inherently ethically problematic.

Tell Ethical Stories asks: “How can organizations tell impact stories without causing harm?”

Tell Ethical Stories does not ask:

  • Should nonprofits, NGOs and social change organizations tell impact stories?

  • Are impact stories more effective than other forms of communication? How? Why?

Ethical Concerns

Ethical Issue

Area of Impact

Area of Practice

Privacy & Consent
How is consent asked for — and given — when collecting impact stories? How can practitioners be sure participants are giving informed consent? How is the privacy of vulnerable populations protected?

Power & Exploitation
How does the inherent power imbalance between an organization and someone impacted by its work create the risk of exploitation — intentional or otherwise? How can participants be protected from unintentional exploitation?

Benefit
How do practitioners account for the direct benefit to the organization as a result of telling someone’s personal story? How do organizations acknowledge the purpose of the story without affecting it?

Identity
How is someone’s self-identity impacted by a story told about them publicly, especially if it reveals some of the most difficult and/or traumatic times of their life? How does someone retain agency over their identity if they consent to their story being told publicly? How has social media impacted self-identity?

Story Participants
A public story about a real person can impact their private life in ways they didn’t want, didn’t anticipate — and can’t control.

Audience
Telling stories to communicate human impact raises concerns about emotional manipulation of the audience.

Practitioners
Being exposed to the aversive details of traumatic events — such as a communications professional or journalist might — can cause Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS).

Story Production
Was the story produced in a way that protected the privacy of real people? Did they consent to participation in the story, and did they control the way they were represented? Did their relationship with the organization influence their choices?

Story Telling
Is the story being used as a tool of manipulation? Will the public telling of the story impact the agency or identity of the real people in the story?

Story Content
Is the message of the story ethical? Does it reinforce or challenge stereotypes?